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Connecting the Dots...

By Trina Innes

Those involved with integrating sustainability into the Olympic Games and post-secondary institutions all share characteristics with Olympic athletes. In keeping with the Olympic rings, below are five shared characteristics that help campus sustainability change agents reach the sustainability podium.

Due to increased student demand, the university is now offering an integrated certificate in sustainability for students in all majors starting this fall. Introductory courses include "Introduction to Environment and Sustainability" and "Foundations of Urban Ecology."See also: AASHE Resource: Certificate/Diploma Programs in Sustainability

Graduate students in the institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development have presented concept proposals for a soon-to-be-built green roof on campus. Realized through $475,167 from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Green Infrastructure Grant Program, the roof will be located on a building that houses the campus cafeteria as well as classrooms, and will be planted with native species and monitored to measure stormwater management and energy efficiency benefits.

Starting this fall, student residents in the new four-bedroom units in UAF Sustainable Village, a community of four homes on the southern edge of campus, will commit to a low-impact lifestyle that includes recycling, conservation and using alternative transportation whenever possible. Researchers will monitor the energy use of various systems including an integrated heating and ventilation system, a solar hydronic system and a biomass stove. They will also study how foundations interact with permafrost and the economics of sustainable building. The university self-financed the $1 million project and will pay off construction costs with student rents.

The 410-bed residence hall features ultra-high efficiency boilers, a geothermal heat pump system and a 20,000-gallon underground cistern that captures and diverts rainwater to irrigate the surrounding landscapes. Additional sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, a bottle filter station and rooftop ventilators that recover energy by taking heat out of the exhaust air to reheat the air coming in during the winter. One hundred percent of electricity consumed by the building is purchased from renewable sources. See also: AASHE Resource: Green Residence Halls

The institute, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array to offset the energy costs of its laboratory facilities. The cost was fully subsidized by NV Energy’s Solar Generations Program. The institute has also partnered with the State Works Division and Hamilton Solar to construct a 365-kilowatt solar array on its Las Vegas campus. See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations

If the pilot installation atop the College of Environment and Design is successful in terms of clean energy efficiency, the university will consider further solar installations. Grants, student fees and a utility award from the university’s Facilities Management Division funded the project.See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations

Features include parking for 75 bikes and charging stations for five electric scooters, as well as a repair station with an air pump and various tools. The facility is an attempt to protect the bikes from theft and to encourage alternative forms of transportation.

The college has received a grant of $21,000 from King County Metro and $26,500 from the Washington State Department of Transportation to offer rideshare incentives to students and employees, and provide fare subsidies for commuter vanpools. The grants will also fund the launch of BC RideMatch, a website that will allow students, faculty and staff to connect with carpoolers.See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Alternative Transportation Initiatives

Two new charging stations will be installed as part of California State University, East Bay’s master plan to transition to more sustainable technologies. The university will also replace outdated parking lot pole units with more energy-efficient plasma lighting systems. The projects will receive funding through renewable energy grants.

The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center, a resource that helps parents and prospective students learn about and compare college costs, has declared Berea College (KY) as the nation’s least expensive private college. The average tuition and fees at Berea College amount to $910 per academic year. The national average for the cost of tuition and fees is $21,949.

The university has received APPA's inaugural Sustainability Award for Public Institutions, which is based on seven criteria: maintenance and operations, planning and construction, energy and utilities, educational curriculum and research, leadership and administration, sustainability indicators, and sustainability innovations. The university was recognized for its energy management and Smart Labs programs.

Over the next four years, the college will set aside $400,000 to provide the principal for a new green revolving fund that will loan money to finance on-campus investments in clean energy and efficiency projects. The college has also joined the Sustainable Endowments Institute's (SEI) Billion Dollar Green Challenge, which promotes turning energy efficiency projects into long-term financial investments.See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Sustainability Revolving Loan Funds (AASHE Member Resource)See also: Billion Dollar Green Challenge Participants

AASHE's "2011 Higher Education Sustainability Review" is now available from Amazon Kindle to members and non-members at $1.99. Looking through the lens of AASHE Bulletin stories in 2011, this review reveals an increased focus on higher education access, affordability and success; more green building efforts than ever; and growing campus community engagement with food security initiatives, among many other achievements. Contributors include Lumina Foundation's James Applegate, Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) Center's Todd Cohen, Ball State University Council on the Environment's Robert J. Koester, and the University of Vermont's Mieko A. Ozeki. The review also takes a look at "what's next," profiling four innovative campus-community partnerships toward resilient, secure, sustainable communities - initiatives to keep an eye on in the coming years.

AASHE invites any AASHE member to nominate candidates to fill several slots including student representation on its Board of Directors, which oversees policy, provides leadership and promotes AASHE in support of the organization’s mission and needs. The full board holds multi-day, in-person meetings at least once a year and holds bimonthly phone meetings. Overall, board members should expect to contribute an average of 5 to 10 hours per month to AASHE. The closing date for nominations is Aug. 15, 2012.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is looking for student regional chairs to start and manage USGBC Students groups across the country. Regional chairs will work directly with students in their geographical area to advance sustainability goals on a variety of campuses.

This position will maintain a program of research and publication; chair Ph.D. and D.B.A. dissertation committees; collaborate with colleagues to develop and sustain an active portfolio of externally funded research; participate in service activities; and help to build, grow and sustain the Center for Values-Driven Leadership in the fields of sustainability and organizational change. Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. in sustainable enterprise or a closely related field.

This position in the college's Sustainability Office will coordinate educational opportunities related to energy and waste reduction initiatives including a peer-to-peer education program and a campus energy competition. The steward will also coordinate the campus recycling/composting program, collaborate with students on energy and waste related projects, and serve as a member of the Energy and Water Task Group. Successful candidates will have a bachelor's degree with one to three years of work experience.

This position will create and maintain mechanisms to house campus-wide sustainability oriented data that allow for streamlined data collection and reporting. The data specialist will also manage the university's annual greenhouse gas inventory and reporting process; participate in the climate action planning process; manage the processes and relationships relative to third party assessments including AASHE's STARS, Princeton Review and Sierra Club Magazine; and administer the data and reporting requirements of campus-based renewable energy systems.

This position in the university's Office of Sustainability will develop and implement programs to increase the practice of sustainable behaviors and enhance awareness of sustainability initiatives and accomplishments on campus, engaging internal and external audiences through a variety of methods. Successful candidates will have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field and 3 to 5 years of experience with marketing, communications, public outreach campaigns and/or educational programs. The deadline to apply is August 31.

This position will be responsible for providing instruction to students through classes, relevant assignments, fair and holistic assessment of learning, and clear documentation of student progress. Successful candidates will have a master’s degree in environmental science, sustainability or biology, and a minimum of two years of occupational experience.

Oct. 14-17, 2012; Los Angeles, CA AASHE 2012: Investing in the Future will feature campus tours, a Student Summit with keynote speaker Billy Parish, and workshops including "Campus Recycling & Zero Waste" and "Communicating Sustainability to Create Change." New this year, the conference will feature advanced sessions and an advanced track. The final conference schedule is now available.

Oct. 24, 2012; Nationwide Organized by the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), Campus Sustainability Day is a day of focus - on what has been accomplished and what is needed to maintain momentum. This year's theme, "Higher Education: Moving Sustainability Forward," emphasizes connecting new groups on campus, highlighting student stories and integrating related planning efforts. Institutions are encouraged to plan an event or commit to a shared challenge. Send planned celebrations to Judy Walton at judy@aashe.org for inclusion on the Campus Sustainability Day website.

Oct. 19-21, 2012; San Rafael, CA Topics covered during this conference, themed "From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Emergence," will include science, ecology, economics, social justice, indigenous wisdom, healthy food systems and more, illustrated by success stories from real-world projects. As part of an alliance between AASHE and Bioneers’ Education for Action Program, groups of 6-10 AASHE-associated educators, students or allies will receive a group discount of $150 per person to attend the entire conference.

We're working with an institution that is looking to more accurately monitor their sustainability-related purchases so that these can be tracked year-over-year and reported. Like many, they currently use Banner and would like to find a way to track such purchases that can be accomplished with some sort of software add-on as opposed to a separate, manually developed tool such as an Excel spreadsheet. Does anyone have any experiences or knowledge of such software?

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